Laws & Legal Principles
This law sets minimum standards for wages, hours, and leaves in Ontario.
What is the Employment Standards ACT (ESA)?
These are the circumstances that may explain an employee's misconduct and reduce the severity of a disciplinary penalty
What are mitigating factors?
This principle ensures stewards represent all members fairly and without bias.
What is the Duty of Fair Representation?
This is who you should not seek advice from when wording a grievance.
Who is the employer's Labour Relations representative or Human Resources?
This is the name of the national union that represents federal public service workers in Canada.
What is the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)?
This principle determines which law takes precedence in workplace rights disputes.
What is the Hierarchy of Legislation?
The employer’s formal response at the final step of the internal grievance process.
What is the Final Level Reply?
This type of meeting allows a member to have union representation when facing potential discipline.
What is an Investigatory Meeting or Disciplinary Interview?
This meeting is a regular opportunity to raise workplace issues with management.
What is a Union-Management Consultation Committee meeting?
This person is often the first point of contact for members in the union.
Who is your Steward?
This legal concept applies when an employer makes major changes that force an employee to resign.
What is Constructive Dismissal?
This is the term for the responsibility to prove your case in a grievance.
What is the burden of proof?
This type of documentation focuses on what an employee can or cannot do, rather than a diagnosis.
What is Functional Limitation-Based Documentation?
This is a key skill for stewards when listening to members and gathering facts.
What is active listening?
This term describes the process of negotiating employment conditions between union and employer.
What is Collective Bargaining?
This principle prevents a party from going back on a commitment if the other party relied on it.
What is Estoppel?
This type of grievance is filed by the union on behalf of multiple members or to address a policy issue.
What is a Union Policy Grievance?
These two sources secure your right to represent members.
What are the Collective Agreement and Labour Legislation?
This is the term for resolving issues informally before filing a grievance.
What is informal resolution?
This is the name of the process used to resolve disputes when grievances are not settled.
What is arbitration?
This standard must be met for an employer to impose discipline or termination under a collective agreement.
What is Just Cause?
This principle may be considered violated if a member is denied representation during an internal harassment investigation.
What is due process?
This concept allows a person with a disability to take on more personal risk in the workplace.
What is Dignity of Risk?
This is the best way to document a conversation with a member or management.
What is taking detailed notes or writing a summary email?
This concept encourages stewards to build inclusive workplaces across race, gender, and identity.
What is Equity and Anti-Oppression Advocacy?